While I agree that the Cyclone stuff was more elegant looking and lighter than the early Superbe, I'm not sure I would say "better". Depends on what better means to you. It was my understanding at the time that Superbe was introduced that SunTour was aiming more seriously at the pro market, and therefore stressed durability and ruggedness over light weight. As I recall, it was generally recognized that while a Cyclone was a lot cheaper and shifted better than Campy Nuovo Record, people would shell out the extra bucks for Campy because it would last longer and hold up to abuse better (and yes, because of the higher profile name).
Tim
Tim Fricker
Portland, OR
> The first generation Suntour Superbe racing rear derailleur
> looks a lot like a slimmed down VLuxe. The Cyclone is
> significantly lighter than the Superbe, and it was always
> something of a mystery to me why Suntour built the Superbe
> stuff in the first place. It was clearly the
> top-of-the-line, but initially anyway, I believe the Cyclone
> stuff was actually better. It was certainly lighter, and
> more elegant looking in general.